What you need to know about being a full stack developer

The profession of full stack developer is currently very popular. If you would like to know more, you have come to the right place. In this article, Karim Meftali, Graduate in computer systems engineering in France and current Director of Pedagogy at the Village de l’Emploi gives you some important information on this job.

What is a Full Stack Developer?

According to Karim Meftali, the Full Stack Developer is a developer who plays the roles of front-end and back-end developer. It contributes to all aspects of the development process of a project. He is able to set up an application or a website from start to finish using technologies and various programming languages. For web development teams, a full stack developer is a great asset. Their deep knowledge allows them to optimize performance, detect problems before they arise, and use their technical communication skills to help team members understand the different parts of a web service. Their skills and knowledge are the guarantors of the entire operation. Full stack developers work for years in different positions to hone the various skills required for this demanding role. They are therefore highly sought after in the technology sector.

The tasks of a full stack developer

A developer‘s task cannot be 100% defined. Their work spans all stages of development, from concept and design to production. In general, full developers play a leading role in a project, analyzing the application requirements of the solution. As such, they are typically responsible for the planning, design, and functional testing of the software.

This also includes troubleshooting systems, managing or leading complex projects that may involve multiple programming languages, external and internal development. In practice, they may also act as advisors to other developers and programmers and liaise with other departments that need support and advice. The missions can be summarized as follows:

• Design of site architecture and user interface ;
• Design of user interface and other front-end elements;
• Management of complex projects;
• Configure servers and databases to ensure proper operation;
• Ensure that the application or website works on mobile phones;
• Ensure that the site is fast and scalable;
• Develop support applications;
• Advice for other departments.

Skills and qualities required for a Full Stack developer position

Full-stack developers have skills relevant to all layers or phases involved in the development of applications or websites.

This takes into account a mastery of several common programming languages such as JavaScript, Java, PHP, C#, Python, C etc. Since most projects require the use of one or more of these languages as a base, it is important that full-stack developers have experience with different language frameworks, models, and implementations.

The full stack developer must have knowledge of development environments and libraries or frameworks. Programming languages must be implemented in some way, and full-stack developers must know how to use development environments to achieve this.

The full stack developer should have knowledge of front-end technologies and user experience. Web development relies heavily on front-end languages such as HTML and CSS, as well as testing the results with users. Full-stack developers will understand basic design principles, user interfaces, and usability.

It needs expertise in data modeling and associated infrastructure. This includes all types of databases and caching technologies. The full stack developer should have experience with servers, networks, hosting environments, and APIs.

For Karim Meftali, apart from all these skills, it is important to have soft skills oriented towards teamwork, such as global thinking, proper communication, creativity and time management, good organization, unfailing pragmatism and rigor.

Benefits of being a Full Stack Developer

The main advantage of full stack developers is that they can work faster and more independently than other team members, which can lead to lower technical costs. Because they are so knowledgeable, they may also have a unique perspective and a more positive mindset. For these reasons, full stack developers are popular in startup environments where resources may be low and extensive experience is essential.

Full stack developers have great career opportunities. The versatile format of the full stack developer job allows you to excel in any area of web development. You can opt for a narrower profile purely Front-End or purely Back-End development, or you can become a solid team leader or architect who knows all the web development processes and has a lot of experience.

Also, a full-stack developer may find successful application of their skills in startups. Startup teams usually have very small budgets, and it’s much more cost effective to have one person who can take on the responsibilities of multiple people. So you get a new experience and you can work on something new, interesting and never seen before.

Larger organizations may want to hire full stack developers because they can help train or troubleshoot other employees. They can also switch from one technology to another by adapting the requirements of the work to specific periods or to the needs of the company.

A full stack developer has the ease of finding freelance work. On freelancer exchanges, clients are often looking for a web specialist who will do all the work on their own, without bringing in additional developers. Who, if not a full-stack developer, is best placed to play this role, having such an advantage over their highly specialized colleagues? Thus, if you choose this path, you will not be unemployed and you will be able to enjoy all the advantages of freelancing.

The reasons for becoming a full stack developer

There are a number of reasons to study this profession, the main one being that there is a growing demand for these professionals in the world of work, so earning this qualification will give you an edge over other professions .

Higher education is not necessary : companies are looking for people who can prove that they can put all this knowledge into practice against people who have studied a lot but lack experience.

Career prospects : The digitization of businesses means that developers will play a key role in the future. You can also use this knowledge to launch your own projects.

Most in-demand jobs: These jobs are becoming increasingly in-demand careers.

Flexible professionals : any programmer can adapt to the strategies of a large or a small company. This opens up more job opportunities.

It’s a creative process : people in these positions have to be very creative to innovate in their projects.

Be part of a community : Programmers have online communities where they can share their passions and ask questions, so they never feel alone while learning.

Be an autodidact : In a world where knowledge is globalized thanks to the Internet and where everyone has access to information, a complete developer must be at the forefront of his field and know all the news.